Reviews by hellhammermario:

More User Reviews:

This is one annual I look forward to every year I honestly didnt know it changed every year and maybe it doesnt but I did notice some changes this year.Poured a deep rich amber with reddish tinted well formed 1/2 finger head,the big dose of sprucey,piney hop is there along with some caramel and roasted grain as usual.The big diference I noticed in this years batch is really how thin and for that matter prickly the mouthfeel was it just didnt equate with the flavors,the hop profile is there and a decent sweetish malt base but the body really downgraded it this year.Hmm am I just dreaming or has it changed?

Appearance  Beautiful, dark ruby in color with a deep brownish hue. The head frothed up nicely and hung around for an eternity, pitting well as it laced the glass.

Smell  Sharp, piney hops along with a sweetish malt balance give this one a classic nose for the style.

Taste  Very sharp pine at the tongue along with some complimentary citrus hops. The malt base is smallish (lightly sweetened) but noticeable. Theres some nice floral hopping in there as well.

Mouthfeel  The flavors are sharp but the mouth is mild. Its medium-bodied but just so. This ale is dry and very crisp.

Drinkability  This is a classic Rogue rendition of the style. Love it or hate it; I love it.

Update  I first reviewed this with a 2003 vintage so thought it would be fun to take another look at it with an 05. Its a bit bigger and maltier then I remember it, which improves the balance IMO. Ill keep the ratings the same and high-five the Santa pic on the bottle as I drain this wonderful offering from Rogue.

Taste is more tea with a chewy amber malt body, metallic red ale twang, and floral to spicy hop bitter in the drying finish. This is definately a refreshing take on X-mas beer and this drinks way too easy.

I'm not usually a big holiday beer fan, to be honest, but my girl had picked up a six-pack of this for us to try, so...

Expected warmth, spices - got hop bitterness and a ton of spruce flavor. Not really my thing, but the more I've drank it, the more I've come to understand the spruce - it suggests the season in a different way than other holiday beers. I drank one with Thanksgiving dinner, and it fought with my food a little too much.

Overall, not something I'd have again or be eager to recommend - I suspect that the spruce might put off most of my more hopheaded friends.

Nice aroma of hops, caramel, and a little honey. Beautiful clear red color. Nice creamy, lasting head. Apparently Santa really likes his bitterness since this definitely leans that way, with only understated maltiness to balance it out. This has a decent lightly silky body. Overall I'd like this beer better if the bitterness didn't dominate the experience.

Rogue's annual holiday brew, an American Winter Warmer that's not spiced, but hopped old-school, with plenty of Chinook and Centennial hops. This year's packaging boasts snowﬂakes that glisten on the painted label. Um. OK. That's nice. Moving on ...

Tawny color glows in the light; the killer froth leaves big, sticky rings of lace after each sip. Huge cookie and caramel aroma, then slightly piney, spicy and citric from the hops' very aromatic. Rogue-style all the way, clean yeast leaves the malt and hops to duke it out. Rich, malty ﬂ avor gives suggestion of caramel and cake batter with an undertone of dark bread. Hops wield bitterness to balance, with lots of ﬂ avor on top of that. Citric, pine, spruce and deep herbal ﬂ avors come to mind.

By far one of the best winter seasonals around. An easy-drinking, warming and ﬂavorful ale that runs through hop ﬁelds with a tasty maltiness by its side, and weird glistening snowﬂakes illuminating the skies above.

This beer definantly keeps up with the tradition of great holliday ales. It poured a dark ruby/brownish color with a very thick head that stuck to the glass like glue. The scent was hoppy but also had a very detectable scent of yeast. The taste was great, over hopped just enough to give the beer that extra kick. Also had a great citrus overtone to the flavor. This one is not as dry hopped as some of the seasonals I've had, and it is a refreshing beer indeed.

Pours a nice cherry-red color. Smells like a typical Rogue beer. Taste is quite nice, similar to the American Amber and St Rouge Red, but with a spiciness that befits the season (although it makes this one less drinkable that those other fine brews).

Overall, this isn't a bad beer, although I really can't see myself drinking it more than once a year.

Deep chestnut red pour with a frothy off white head sitting on top. Magenta tones shine through when held up to the light. Roasted caramel covered nuts and hints of piney hops on the nose. Subtle frutiness.

Nice roasty, caramel maltiness upfront with a generous helping of pine sap hoppiness. A bit of citrus fruit comes through in the hop as well. Lingering biterness on the back of the palate. Quite a tasty and enjoyable holiday brew!

Mouthfeel is creamy and has adequate body. This is a nice holiday brew that I could easily drink in large amounts. Has a nice balance and a unique hop character. Check this one out if you haven't yet!

Poured red/caramel in color with a half finger off white head. Smell was light but mostly of citrus and pine hops. A nice malt backbone to this one with a slight resin hop finish. Very crisp taste overall, typical of all Rogue brews. Mouthfeel was relatively thin with little carbonation. Flavor lingers for a bit. I found this one very drinkable and I'll be sure to have another next year.

I have to learn to stop drinking my beers so cold. For the first half (glass) of this beer I was roundly unimpressed, but as it warmed to room temperature, and I poured the 2nd half, all the personality & character came out.

Attractive deep red, at any temperature. Lots of lacing. Malt & appropriate winter-ish spices in the nose. Toasty, malty flavor. Very full bodied, and the hops hit you at the finish. Nicely done. Highly drinkable.

A 22oz bottle, this was a red/brown color with a medium head. It had a sweet, breadlike aroma, and I thought I could detect a piney aroma also. Yes, when I tasted the beer, there were the piney hops. A tiny bit on the astringent side, and I don't think I could drink a lot of these at one sitting, but a very good beer nevertheless.

A - An opaque burgundy with an off-white head and lace that lingers nicely.

S - Buttery caramel/toffee and a little bit of floral aroma from the hops.

T - Caramel and toffee with hints of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. The finish has some pininess from the hops, which is not too bitter.

M - It has a thick body with low carbonation.

O - This beer is quite tasty and has a fairly low abv, which makes this very drinkable and refreshing. Santa's Reserve has a fairly low IBU and is heavy on flavor so I would definitely recommend this beer.

22 oz bottle. Pours a ruby amber with a thin off-white head that quickly goes down to a thin film that leaves a little lacing.

The aroma is caramel/toffee malts with a little butterscotch and a fruity floral hoppiness.

The flavor is fruity (slightly acidic) butterscotch malts initially followed by a floral piney hop finish that lingers into the aftertaste. It's medium bodied, but with a watery finish that washes out a lot of the flavors except the bitter aftertaste.

Overall, similar to other hoppy ambers (Levitation, Cinder Cone, Red Seal). I really liked the first couple of sips, but the more I had of it the less I liked it.